The Greatest Generation

A few years ago a well-known author described some of the men and women of my day as “the greatest generation.” The author, Tom Brokaw, explained:

“These men and women came of age in the Great Depression, when economic despair hovered over the land like a plague. They had watched their parents lose their businesses, their farms, their jobs, their hopes. They had learned to accept a future that played out one day at a time. Then, just as there was a glimmer of economic recovery, war exploded across Europe and Asia. … This generation was summoned to the parade ground and told to train for war. They left their ranches … , their jobs on the main street … , they gave up their place on the assembly lines … and in the ranks of Wall Street, they quit school or went from cap and gown directly into uniform. …

“They faced great odds and a late start, but they did not protest. At a time in their lives when their days and nights should have been filled with innocent adventure, love, and the lessons of the workaday world, they were fighting, often hand to hand, in the most primitive conditions possible. … They were in the air every day, in skies filled with terror, and they went to sea on hostile waters far removed from the shores of their homeland. …

“When the war was over, the men and women who had been involved … joined in joyous and short-lived celebrations, then immediately began the task of rebuilding their lives and the world they wanted. They were mature beyond their years, tempered by what they had been through, disciplined by their … training and sacrifices. They married in record numbers and gave birth to another … generation. … They stayed true to their values of personal responsibility, duty, honor, and faith.”1

When I was your age, I was looking forward to the same things you desire today. We were anticipating romance, education, professions, and marriage. Instead, we were called to serve and sent to the four corners of the earth to engage in a terrible war to protect our basic rights to enjoy the liberty to think, act, assemble, and govern safeguarded by the rule of law. Our service was not just for ourselves—it was to be our contribution for the generations that would follow after us. We went forward willingly. It took great courage.

Although I do not claim the title just for myself, I am one of the remaining survivors of “the greatest generation.” As I look to the future—and as I look at your future—I pray that you will step forward and assume your responsibilities to preserve the noble heritage of our past. I pray that in a future day you will be known as “the greatest generation.”

Your war will be very different. I am fully aware that your challenges will be much greater than ours. We knew who our enemy was on the battlefield. They were shooting at us! The enemy today is much more sinister. He does not always confront us in battle head-on. Instead, he hides in almost every device known to man. His plan is to plant an evil idea here and an evil thought there, to lead us away from the virtues taught us by our glorious history. With his clever plan he has devised ways to weaken our Christian faith.

You have a role in helping our Father in Heaven’s children return to their Christian foundations by developing faith in the Savior and His ways.

“Pope Benedict XVI lamented [over] the weakening of [the] churches in Europe, Australia, and the [United States. He said:] ‘There’s no longer evidence for a need of God, even less of Christ. … The so-called traditional churches look like they are dying.’”2

We have moved away from traditional worship. More people say they are spiritual rather than religious—if a teaching fits their lifestyle, they will accept it, and it will become part of their faith. If it does not, they will develop their own man-made faith. Faith and spirituality are now viewed as consumer products. Materialism has taken over and replaced God. Our voices must be heard in opposition to these dangerous trends which are designed to destroy the faith of mankind.

The Book of Mormon has warned us over and over again of replacing our trust in God with those things that do not last. Describing a time that many of the Nephites were drifting from their faith, the Book of Mormon states, “They grew proud, being lifted up in their hearts, because of their exceedingly great riches; therefore they grew rich in their own eyes, and would not give heed to [the prophets’] words, to walk uprightly before God” (Alma 45:24).

My young friends, as you see the weakening of Christian faith in society, your own faith must become even more firm and more sure. Helaman declared: “Remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12).

Nephi reminded us: “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins [and] that life which is in Christ. … For the right way is to believe in Christ” (2 Nephi 25:26–28).

Do we have a foundation to support such a claim?

You may ask, “What can I do?” Some months ago our stake president, speaking in sacrament meeting, suggested four things that we could do to bring others back to us:

First is daily prayer. I like this statement in the Bible Dictionary: “As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.”4

President Thomas S. Monson said:

“To those within the sound of my voice who are struggling with challenges and difficulties large and small, prayer is the provider of spiritual strength. … Prayer is the means by which we approach our Father in Heaven, who loves us. Speak to Him in prayer and then listen for the answer. Miracles are wrought through prayer. …

“Remember to pray fervently.”

Have your daily prayers, and help others return to their Christian faith by encouraging them to get on their knees and pray to God.

Second, daily scripture study. Could there be any stronger witness of Jesus Christ than the testimonies we find in the Book of Mormon? Of the 239 chapters, 233 mention the Savior. Isn’t that amazing?

Be certain you have daily scripture study. Then help others return to their Christian faith by encouraging them to also study the scriptures daily.

Third, temple worthiness. Some of you have been to the temple; others have not. It is well to understand what is required to obtain a temple recommend. We understand clearly the process by which we go to a judge in Israel and confirm to him our worthiness to hold a current temple recommend and then live by the standards required in holding that recommend.

Live in such a way that your righteous example will demonstrate how to live to be worthy of qualifying for temple blessings.

Fourth, daily acts of service. Remember the words of King Benjamin: “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17). The Lord literally answers our prayers through the service we give to others.

Be an example of Christlike service, and help others return to their Christian faith by encouraging them to get out and serve their fellowmen.

Tonight, my young friends, I challenge you to rise to a new sense of commitment. I challenge you to become “the greatest generation” by assisting our Father in Heaven’s children to return to their Christian faith and to the strong religious foundation that is so necessary to enjoy peace of mind and real happiness in this period of mortal probation.

Elder L. Tom Perry